Oil-well cleaner



April 28, 1931- G. E. NEWLIN OIL WELL CLEANER Filed March 3. 1928 y Fig! - [/v VEN 'ron' ,gy/ G50/MAE E. MWL/N o QU warm m., if Il i Patented Apr. 28,1931

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE E. NEWLIN, F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO EDWIN P. INGLE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA OIL-WELL Application led March 3,

In practical oil well industry, oil wells are provided with imperforate casing down to the oil producing formation and the well is sunk into such formation and may be of greater or less depth therein according to the character of the formation and the judgment of the operator; and preparatory to the same at the surface of the pumping the oil, from the well, a foraminous liner or screen is inserted through the-casing into the hole within the oil bearing strata. Such liner or screen is of such foraminous character that oil strained thereby will pass from the well hole below the casing into the liner, or screen; and a pump is lowered inside the liner or screen and is lsupported by pump tubing depending from supports at the top of the well; and a sucker rod is operated in such tubing by mechanical means, such as a walking-beam connected to the sucker rod by a polished rod extending through packing at the top of the pump tubing that is provided with an outlet through which the oil is discharged at the upstroke of the pump piston at the lower end of the sucker rod.

Such liners or screens are likely to become clogged by asphaltum, paraffin, or other substances reaching the liner, and an object of this invention is to provide eicient and satisfactory means for removing from the liner the obstructing substances and vdischarging well through the casing surrounding the liner.

An object of this invention is to provide` means whereby a hot liquid solvent may be applied to the liner or screen in such a manner as t`o make it possible to melt, dissolve, disintegrate, and wash away the obstructions.

In order to effect the required cleansing it is necessary to apply a forcible stream of the cleansing liquid to only a limited areaof the liner or screen at the same time, and an object' of this invention is to provide means whereby adjacent portions of the screen or liner may be operated upon successively.

In this invention I provide means adapted to be automatically expanded and contracted by variations in the pressure of the water used in the liner cleaning apparatus; and in from the chambers. to allow water to CLEANER 1928. Serial No. 258,823.

order to do this I provide'a central water pipe surrounded by two annular expandable packers spaced apart, and provide between said packers telescopic wedging members each of which comprise an annular wedge portion and a tubular chamber; the annular wedge being adapted to be forced into the packers to expand them against the liner or screen; and the chambers being telescopic and separable, and the water pipe being open thereto to discharge water thereinto to force the members apart; there being an amplitude of movement of the wedge and chamber relative to each other, suflicient to open an oitlet ow 'from the tube through the space inside the perforated liner or screen, and through the portion of the liner or screen between the packers; and I providesuitable means to return the wedges to non-wedging position when the pressure in the tube is reduced sufliciently for that purpose; so that by applying a predetermined pressure of the cleansing liquid t'o the space contained in the telescoped chambers of the wedging members, said members, will first wedge out and thus expand the packers against the liner or screen, and then will separate the chambers from each other and then will escape through the space between the separated ends of the chambers and will be applied forcibly to the portion of the liner or screen that is between the packers, until the water pressure is lowered sufliciently to allow the wedge returning means to force the wedges from their packer expanding positions; thus allowing the device to be moved to another space to be cleaned.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention may appear from the accompanying drawing, the subjoined detailed description and the appended claims.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the invention.

Figure 1 is an elevation of the cleaner constructed in accordance with my invention and shows in contracted condition for movements lengthwise of a well liner, a fragment of which is shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the cleaner in expanded condition as in use.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the cleaner contracted.

1 designates the perforated liner, Which is of conventional construction and provided with perforations 2 which permit oil to flow from the well, not shown, to the interior of the liner and for communication with a pumping line for movement to the surface. 3 designates the barrel of the cleaner which is formed out of a length of met-al tubing, having screw threads 4 at its upper end for connection with a pipe 5 leading to a source of water supply under pressure. By prefer-' ence and as shown the barrel and pipe are connected as by a coupling 6 having internal threads 7 and 8 for respective engagements with the threads 4 of the barrel and threads 9 of the pipe. At the opposite, or lower end of the barrel there are threads 10 to receive a closure, or barrel cap 11 and intermediate the ends of the barrel there are openings 12.

Secured against axial movements relative to the barrel are the packing sleeves 13 and 14, which are located at either side of the openings 12, and by preference are of sleeve, or tube form, normally separated from the barrel to provide spaces 15 for the accommodation of springs 16 and by preference are connected with the coupler 6 and cap 11 as by the annular cavities 17 and 18 in the coupler and cap, respectively and the beads 19 formed at the ends of the packings, so that the lower end of the packing 13 and the upper end of packing 14 are open and free to be moved laterally with respect to the barrel and well mer.

Expanders 20 and 21 of tubular form are slidably related to the barrel; are of substantially cone-shape and are oppositely disposed on the barrel, so that the apex 22 of the expander 20 may enter the space 15 at the packing 13 and the apex 23.A may enter the space 15 at the packing 14, the recited springs 16 having their ends abutting the coupling and cap and the apexes of the packings coact to normally hold the expanders relatively together as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

Depending from the lower end of the expander 2O is a skirt ring, or collar 24, which forms a depression or chamber 25 and similarly at the upper end of the expander 21 is an upstanding skirt ring, or collar 26 forming a depression or chamber, which depressions as best shown in Fig. 3 when the expanders are in contracted positions unite to orm a chamber 27, that is externally closed,

and, when the pressure is on, will be opened as b a gap between the ends of the chambers.

T e operation is as follows Assuming that the oil pumping operation has been stopped, the cleaner as a whole and by means yof the water pipe 5 lowered to the level of the perforations in the liner. Water is then forced down through the pipe and into cleansing liquid to the end that the perforations in the screen or liner are freed from all obstructions.

The springs 16 serve to bring the expanders to their closed positions, upon a shuttin o of the hydraulic pressure to withdraw the expanders from the packings and to permit the packings to assume their normal contracted conditions for purposes of their movements to other lengths in the liner for cleaning, or for complete withdrawal from the well.

The cap 11 may, if required, be provided with drainage means such as the leaks 28 to provide for pressure relief whereby the springs may more rapidly bring the expanders-to closed positions.

I claim 1. An oil well cleaner compri-sing a barrel adapted for connection with a water pipe and having an opening intermediate its ends; packing elements arranged on the barrel on either side of said opening and having their adjacent ends free from, and the opposite ends fixed to, the barrel; a pair of devices axially movable relative to the barrel and to each other and arranged for movement, by hydraulic pressure between them, to effect mechanical dilation of the `packing elements, and separation of said devices so that liquid from the barrel will discharge through the gap produced by the separating movement.

2. An oil well cleaner comprising a barrel having one end yclosed and adapted at its other end for connection with a source ot cleansing liquid under pressure and there being an opening therethrough intermediate its ends; a pair of substantially conical expanders separately mounted for movements on the barrel and having on their adjacent ends, telescoping skirts adapted to form a ch :aber and adapted and arranged apart to inclose the opening in the barrel; springs acting on the expander to normally ho-ld their skirts telescoped together; packing elements secured against lengthwise movement relative to the barrel and at opposite sides of said expanders, said expanders acting by hydraulic pressure to enter and mechanically dilate the packings, and separable by such pressure to discharge liquid laterally from the barrel.

3. An oil well cleaner, comprising a barrel,

a tubular packing adjacent each end of the 

